Team Luna Rossa Challenge 2013, Challenger to the 34th America’s Cup, has been presented today in Mondello, Palermo, at the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the challenging Yacht Club.
The President of Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Agostino Randazzo, and the Team Principal of Luna Rossa Challenge 2013, Patrizio Bertelli, welcomed the guests, including the President of the Palermo Province, Giovanni Avanti, the President of the Italian Sailing Federation, Carlo Croce, and the Sports Delegate of the Sicily Region, Daniele Tranchida. A large group of media representatives and a delegation of the America’s Cup Event Authority were also present.
Team Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 was represented by skipper Max Sirena, helmsmen Paul Campbell-James and Chris Draper, sailors Francesco Bruni and Manuel Modena, and the designers, coaches, and other shore personnel Roberto Biscontini, Andrea Casimirri, Steve Erickson, Antonio Marrai, Umberto Panerai, Matteo Plazzi and Luis Saenz.
Agostino Randazzo, President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, stated:”The challenge for the America’s Cup is the greatest ambition for a Yacht Club. I want to thank Patrizio Bertelli for granting this unique opportunity to the Circolo della Vela di Sicilia.”
Patrizio Bertelli, Team Principal of Luna Rossa Challenge 2013, stated: “This team brings together some of the “historical” Luna Rossa team members, and a strong new group of young sailors. The Circolo della Vela Sicilia has a very long and strong history in the world of sailing and we are proud to be representing it.”
Max Sirena, Skipper of Luna Rossa Challenge 2013, stated: “We have been working very hard in the last few months and the whole team has proved to be ready to meet the challenges of the upcoming AC 45 competitions. We are pleased with the status of our work on the construction of the new wing-sail catamaran AC 72 that we plan to launch in Autumn.”
Team Luna Rossa was established in 1997 by Patrizio Bertelli under the name of “Prada Challenge for the America’s Cup 2000”. At its first campaign the team won the 2000 Louis Vuitton Cup – the America’s Cup Challengers’ selection series – with an impressive record of 38 wins over 49 races. Luna Rossa challenged again in 2003 and 2007, reaching the Louis Vuitton Cup’s final in the latter regatta. In 2012, it won the Extreme Sailing Series, the Extreme 40 class catamarans international circuit.
The Circolo della Vela Sicilia, established in 1933, is one of the oldest and most prestigious yacht clubs of the Mediterranean. Its base is in Mondello, just a few kilometres from the centre of Palermo. Throughout the years the club has hosted various national and international races, such as the J 24 and Star Class European Championships, the Italian Olympic Classes Championship and the “Palermo – Monte Carlo” off-shore race, amongst the others.